Childhood Hero: Donald Glover Is as Excited to Play Lando Calrissian as We Are About Seeing Him

A few days ago, we got the first teaser for Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, and pretty much everyone was taken by … (NOT Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo) Donald Glover, resplendent as Lando Calrissian.

The internets were abuzz, as they say, and some of the reasons Glover will be so memorable in this role go way back to the actor/musician’s childhood. As related to Esquire, Donald’s been eyeing his Star Wars hero all his life. Speaking about his attachment to the movies and a certain action figure — the “only black person in the original trilogy” — it’s clear how much Lando means to Glover, whose father, despite being a Jehovah’s Witness, took Glover out of school to see the prequels.

I had a doll that I slept with—the only black doll in the store—that my mom bought for me. And my dad bought me Lando.”

Many years later, having heard a rumor about a movie with Lando, Glover went after it full force. When his agent said the chances of getting the role weren’t good, Glover took the challenge.

That was exactly what I needed to hear, because I’m the person who’s not supposed to make it, so much so that I don’t think people recognize where I came from and what I’ve done. At a certain point, it does look easy. I do sometimes look like a Mary Sue. I was like, ‘Oh, okay, cool.’ I studied, I watched the movies a lot, and I killed it, because I was ready.”

As we all know, he did land the role, and then he got to tell his father he’d gotten it, and was even able to bring dad to the set.

Now, what better way to close out this post than with Demi Adejuyigbe‘s clever take on a Childish Gambino-like Lando rap?

oh wow, just caught a preview of Donald Glover’s Lando rap for the Han #SoloMovie. didn’t realize we’d be getting new Childish Gambino music so soon!! i hope Disney doesn’t take this down! pic.twitter.com/t1BTAAiDiE

Cindy Davis has been writing about the entertainment industry for ​over eight years, and is the ​Editor-in-Chief at Oohlo, where she muses over television, movies, and pop culture. Previous Senior News Editor at Pajiba, and published at BUST.